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Friday, 2 January 2009

The Search for Perfect Piecing

I've been working on the perfect quarter inch seam and accurate matching of points. It's getting much better the more I practice on the quilts I am making, but I have found a thread and needle which I think makes a big difference.

I am piecing with YLI Soft Touch 100% Cotton - it is very fine so you don't lose fabric as it is pressed and turned. The needle I have chosen is a Schmetz Microtex size 70/10 - extra sharp point. The sharpness is particularly useful when machine quilting through wadding and two layers of fabric.

The YLI Soft Touch doesn't need to be colour matched to the fabric, I'm using Natural for lighter fabrics and Grey for the darker ones. A 1000m cone will last me a long time and costs less than a fiver on Ebay. YLI also have some scrumptiously coloured varieagated machine quiltiing thread - the picture is some of the spools I received as part of the "free gift" when I bought my 4900QC just over 18 months ago.

For more information than you'll ever need to know read Thread of Truth all about thread and needles. Unravel the mysteries about weights and sizes.

I'm not really pursuing perfection - nothing's ever perfect. I want a quilt that's pleasing to look at with no glaring errors, no wavy edges and almost all points matching. That's good enough for me, stressing out over minor imperfections takes all the pleasure away from the finished object.